THE Indo-Caribbean Federation (ICF) has scheduled its annual Cricket Festival for today

 at the Idlewild Cricket Field, 149th Avenue and 223rd Street, Rosedale, Queens, New York.

Two games will be played, the first one starts at 10:00 am, with the Guyana Masters XI against

the Rest of the Caribbean Masters XI.

The second game will begin at 2:00 pm, featuring the more senior players participating in the

New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey Cricket leagues.

The fun Day has been a feature of the ICF for more than thirty years and is part of its celebration

of Indian Arrival Day.

At the annual event, the ICF honours a personality for their exemplary work in the cricketing

community.

Known as Larry in the cricketing world, the left-hander was born in Amira with his brother

Sheldon Gomes. Larry and his siblings were youth cricket stars. The two brothers got into first-

class cricket while still in their teens

From the start, Larry was regarded as a very reliable batsman. His team could always count on

him to build batting partnerships.

At 18, Larry was selected to represent Trinidad and Tobago against the touring New Zealand

cricketers in their 1971-72 tour of the West Indies. He also toured with the West Indies youth

squad to England in 1970. His performance was so impressive that in 1973, Middlesex County

contracted him. He represented Middlesex for four years. His performances with both bat and

ball were so notable that he was selected for the West Indies in 1976.

Larry, now 72, represented the West Indies in 60 Tests and 83 ODIs from 1976 to 1987. He was

selected repeatedly as an all-rounder. Each prior Test match he played in solidified his inclusion

for the next Test match.

‘Mr. Dependable played 60 Tests, scoring 3,171 runs at an average of 39.63 and captured 41 Test

wickets with his right-arm off-spin.

Larry played 231 first-class matches, scoring 12,982 runs at an average of 40.56 with 32

centuries.

However, according to him, his greatest honour was being a member of the West Indies cricket team that won the 1979 World Cup.

Later in life, after his cricketing exploits, Larry migrated to Canada and settled in Toronto. For a while he played cricket in the amateur cricket leagues in the Toronto area, while coaching and helping youngsters, some of whom represented the Canadian national team in ICC tournaments.

When ICF President Ralph Tamesh contacted him, Larry graciously accepted the invitation to be

honoured at this year’s ICF Cricket Festival in New York. Ralph said,

“It would be an honour to recognise Larry Gomes for his many contributions to cricket in the

West Indies and internationally.”

Larry Gomes, who has a football ground named after him in Trinidad and Tobago will arrive in New York City on Wednesday.

The next evening, he will be the guest of honour at a social gathering at the Royal Empress Hall,

where ICF President, Ralph Tamesh, the membership, and other special guests will formally

welcome him.

Gomes will promote his book, Mr. Dependable, during his New York visit.